Diversity Rules Magazine

Our great na on has always been charac- terized as one that respects the personal dignity of all ci zens, where all are treated fairly, and where ev- eryone has the same rights as everyone else. That is what we are told and taught in our history classes anyway. It is driven into our heads from a very young age, that our cons tu on pro- tects us all and guar- antees life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Of course, any sane, ra o- nal American knows this is not the truth, especially those Americans who have been marginalized and largely ignored such as our black brothers and sis- ters. In reality, our African-American ci zens, have endured unspeakable atroci es at the hands of a white-privi- leged society for centuries. Our great na on, which was built on the precepts of freedom and liberty for all, through its leaders through the centuries, have made a mockery of those founding principles with being intertwined with a despicable socio-economic system that was premised on slavery. Our great na- on saw fit to build its fortunes on the backs of men and women, through no fault of their own, who were cast into slavery, bid on, bought, and sold in public markets throughout our young country. The bond- age of fellow human beings in the throes of slavery is certainly one of our darkest periods. Even though a Civil War was fought to end the scourge of slav- ery, and formalized with Abraham Lincoln's Emanci- pa on Proclama on, our black brothers and sisters since that me have never really achieved the equal- ity, and fairness they were guaranteed by Lincoln's decree. A er many years of civil and racial unrest, and at- tempts to foster a more perfect union, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned segrega on on the grounds of race, religion, or na- onal origin. It also disallowed segrega on of public venues such as courthouses, parks, restaurants, the- aters, etc. The act also banned the denial of service simply because of the color of one's skin. Also banned via Title VII of the Act was also race, re- ligion, na onal origin, and gender discrimina on by employers and labor unions, with a vehicle through which the power existed to file lawsuits on behalf of those who felt they were discriminated against. Addi onally, the act disallowed using federal funds for any discriminatory program, as well as gave autho- riza on to what is now the Department of Educa on to facilitate school desegrega on. It also strength- ened the Commission on Civil Rights and prohibited the unequal applica on of vo ng requirements. Despite the passage of laws, most notably the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to protect our African-American ci zens through the years, unfortunately, prejudice and racism have been an integral part of the social fabric of America. The struggle con nues to this day and appears to be one that will be with us for many years to come, as we now see with the current ra- cial unrest fostered by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of overzealous, and clearly, racist po- licemen. If George Floyd's murder was not enough, the brutal shoo ng of unarmed Jacob Blake in the back 7 mes a er he a empted to break up a fight and was walking back to his car, in front of his chil- dren, leaving him paralyzed, was another brazen act of a empted murder at the hands of overzealous policemen, clearly with some sort of racial bias. As this was all occurring, they allowed 17-year old Kyle Ri enhouse to roam freely with an AR-15 assault ri- fle who ul mately murdered 2 people in cold blood, and seriously injuring a third. Police officers allowed him to leave the scene despite witnesses iden fying him as the shooter. Despite claims of self-defense, the autopsy of his first vic m showed he was shot in the back mul ple mes. There was no act of self- defense involved at all. It was an out and out cold- No Lives Matter Until Black Lives Matter By James R. Koury, Editor/Publisher 4 | Diversity Rules Magazine | Sept 2020

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